Raptors Live to See Another Game After Defeating Sixers in Game 5

As the Philadelphia 76ers pinned the Toronto Raptors’ backs against the wall by garnering a 3-0 lead, the Sixers knew the Raptors would come out firing this past Saturday afternoon in Game 4.

The Sixers couldn’t close out the first-round series with a sweep. Instead, the Raptors picked up an eight-point victory and forced a Game 5.

The Sixers and the Raptors met once again in South Philly on Monday night. Both teams were putting up a good fight from the jump, but Philadelphia’s inability to take care of the ball gave Toronto an edge. As the Sixers turned the ball over seven times, they trailed by two points through the first quarter of action.

Then when the second quarter rolled around, the Sixers struggled mightily on both sides of the ball. As the Raptors knocked down nearly 50-percent of their shots and scored 25 points in the second quarter, the Sixers countered by draining just five shots from the field for 14 points.

Outside of Danny Green, who knocked down three shots from beyond the arc, the Sixers didn’t have anybody establishing a rhythm to prevent Toronto from gaining a significant lead. Going into halftime, the Sixers were trailing 54-41 while shooting under 35-percent from the field and just over 25-percent from three.

While the Sixers outscored the Raptors coming out of the third quarter, they didn’t do nearly enough to get themselves back into the game. Going into the fourth quarter, the Sixers trailed by nine points. Toronto’s lead didn’t seem notable since it was single digits, but anytime the Sixers showed signs of gaining momentum, the Raptors countered with a basket of their own.

During the fourth quarter, the Raptors continued to knock down shots at a high rate. Meanwhile, the Sixers were doing the opposite. After struggling to shoot more than 36-percent from the field on 22 shots in the final quarter, the Sixers were outscored once again.

In the end, Toronto put Philly away with a 103-88 victory. Sixers center Joel Embiid led the team in scoring with 20 points in 39 minutes. While the Sixers’ entire starting lineup notched double digits, they didn’t have anybody that could help them make it a competitive matchup.

Meanwhile, the Raptors got most of the shots they wanted and took advantage of Philadelphia’s poor defensive effort. Now, the Raptors and the Sixers will head back up North to meet for a Game 6. A win for the Raptors on Thursday could put the Sixers in a difficult position as they would need to participate in a Game 7 this upcoming weekend for a do-or-die matchup.

But if the Sixers can climb out of their two-game slump for Game 6, then they would advance to the next round to face either the Miami Heat or the Atlanta Hawks for a seven-game series.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.